I love that dirty water . . . .

. . . Oh, Boston, you're my home

Ok, it may not be my home anymore, but that song by the Standells was playing thru my head the entire time I was back in Beantown. I was back in Boston yesterday for the first time since I moved to Philly 5 years ago. I can't believe it's been so long. I have so many great memories and it was hard to try and relive them (if that's even possible) in the 3 hours I had to spare.

I had flown up to Boston for a retirement celebration for the judge I clerked for on the Land Court. All but one of the judge's 13 law clerks convened to surprise him and give him a nice send off. It was great to meet the clerks that came before and after, but it was especially nice to see my judge and catch up with him. Although the court was in a new location, right on top of the new Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, nothing seemed to have changed. It was great to catch up with the other judges and administrative staff at the court.

Before our little celebration, I made it a point to drive around and see how the city has changed. The biggest change is the Big Dig and the fact that it is over! This project started when I was in college. When I left in 2003, they had just opened the northbound tunnel of 93 and the Zakim-BH Bridge and the expressway still existed. Now, there is no visible sign there was ever a highway dividing Government Center from the North End. At the end of the open greenway is the spectacular Zakim-BH Bridge.

Most surprising was when I turned down Causeway Street. The Green Line used to be an elevated train on this street and it was always dark and dreary. Now, it's bright and open! If you see the clover on the left, that's the entrance to the Garden.

After our get-together at Boston Beerworks and a Bunker Hill Bluebeery Ale (just like old times), I trekked up to Brookline for a grilled veggie burrito at Anna's Taqueria. I couldn't come to Boston and not have one. YUM! I used to stop off there on my way home from work all the time.

It was just such a beautiful day out and I couldn't help but take pictures of the Charles River and the Boston Skyline.

Tons of folks were out riding, blading, and biking on either side of the river and I just wanted to jump out of my car and join them. Of course, I didn't since I didn't want to show up at the courthouse sopping wet. :( I definitely need to take an extended trip back to New England where I can spend more time in Boston, trek up to VT and NH, and spend some time on Cape Cod. I just need to find the time!

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On a side note, I wore my new blue Lilith shell yesterday. It looked great w/ my "suit" and as I had expected, really brought out my eyes. However, toward the end of the day, I noticed that the shell seemed to be longer than my jacket. That seemed odd since it hadn't been earlier that day. I didn't think anything of it until I got back to the hotel and took off my jacket. Um, the shell stretched about 3 inches over the course of the day! My arm hole, which was originally 8" deep, was not close to 11" deep. I am going to have to do some tweaking if I ever want to wear it again. I'm so bummed since I really liked that color. Luckily, when I took the jacket off earlier in the day, it had been before it had stretched significantly and showed off more of my chest area than I had wanted. At least I hope that was the case!